Gangwish Family Pledges $1 Million For New Library

6/10/2012

Ottawa University is delighted to announce that members of the Carl C. and Carrie Gangwish family have made a $1 million naming pledge for a new library to be built in 2013.

The Gangwish family has a very long and loyal history with Ottawa University, evidenced not only by their significant pledge, but also by decades of service and the 22 family members who have attended the University.

“Providing state-of-the-art information access through a University library is providing a vital resource for all OU students, regardless of where they live or their field of study,” says family member Carl J. Gangwish ’56. “My parents felt so strongly about the importance and value of education that they sent all six of their children to Ottawa University. Their emphasis on learning has been passed on to our large extended family that now includes members in the fields of business, agriculture, medicine, education, law, health, and religion. We want to help sustain and encourage Ottawa University’s goal of lifelong learning through our support for this project.”

The family’s pledge is part of $10 million being raised for the Gangwish Library and adjoining Gibson Student Center to be located at the center of The College campus.

Vice President for University Advancement Paul Bean has worked closely with the Gangwish family to coordinate their gift. “The Gangwish family has been a mainstay of Ottawa University for three generations, and I can’t think of a more appropriate family to bear the name of the new library,” he says. “Their support through finances, continuing involvement and the many family members who have attended OU makes the Gangwishes wonderful examples of the loyal donors we are blessed to have and the type of people who best exemplify our institutional values.”

Karla (Gangwish) Dye ‘79, serves on OU’s Board of Trustees and is the Advancing the Vision campaign chair. “To offer a modern university library that provides immediate information access in today’s fast-paced technology age is imperative and a responsibility we have to our students,” she says. “So we’re excited to have the library as a featured component of this campaign, and I’m proud that our family is helping OU achieve that part of its vision for the future.”

“We are thrilled and grateful for this generous gift from this wonderful family,” commented University President Kevin C. Eichner. “What a fitting tribute to the University and a fine legacy for the Gangwishes! We are very excited to add their leadership gift to this key element of our Advancing the Vision campaign. The Gangwish Library and Gibson Student Center will advance our purposes for many decades to come.”